Istafiana Candarini, Afina Candarini and Nadya Karina posing with models after presenting Kami's Ramadan and Idul Fitri collections during a trunk show in the grand ballroom of The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place, on Wednesday (16/05). (Photo courtesy of Kami)

Jakarta. Kami, an up-and-coming modest-wear brand by Afina Candarini, Istafiana Candarini and Nadya Karina, presented its Ramadan and Idul Fitri collections during a trunk show in the grand ballroom of The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place, on Wednesday (16/05).

"It's our annual show featuring our raya [festive] collections for Ramadan and Idul Fitri," Kami director and co-founder, Istafiana (Irin), said before the start of the show, themed "Kami Eidscapade 2018" featuring three of the brand's collections for this year's festive season.

The first collection is named "Hanagami," which means "paper flowers" in Japanese.

"I was inspired by early springtime in Japan, when it rains a lot and flowers are starting to grow," said Nadya, creative director and co-founder.

A dress in the 'Hanagami' collection. (Photo courtesy of Kami)

Nadya, a visual communication design alumnus of Binus University Jakarta, translated this romantic season into loose tunics, tailored pants and flowy dresses in gentle natural hues.

Rough sketches of origami flowers adorn the collection.

In the second sequence of the show, Kami presented a collection themed "Mara," which means "sea" in Gaelic.

"When designing this collection, I was inspired by the ocean, especially the moment when it kisses the shore," Nadya said.

The colors and patterns of the outfits in this collection are pleasing to the eye.

Bursts of aquamarine, coral pink and moss green generate a lively feel. Some of the outfits are also illustrated with scattered algae, rocks and seashells that seem to be washed ashore.

Kami's outfits are known for their unique patterns, as well as their comfort. Their silhouettes are simple, yet feminine and graceful, while their subtle colors would blend well with many other items in your wardrobe.

Small, endearing details, such as asymmetric hemlines, layered bodices and cute bows on the sides, also give the dresses a romantic edge.

The third collection, which closed the evening's show, is named "Promenade."

The dresses in this collection are more glamorous, each embellished with layers of lace, specially designed by Lace Story, a local lace design studio.

"Lace makes our dresses look more luxurious and special, which is suitable for celebrating special occasions such as Idul Fitri," Nadya said.

A lace outfit from the 'Promenade' collection. (Photo courtesy of Kami)

The lace on Kami's outfits are adorned with floral, foliage and Japanese-style sashiko embroideries. Some of them are also discreetly adorned with Swarovski crystals and pearls.

Kami's customers gave an enthusiastic round of applause at the end of the show.

Kami's Story

"Listening to customers and continuous innovation are necessary to stay ahead in the market," Nadya said.

With continuous innovation, Kami has greatly evolved and expanded its market.

The brand was first conceptualized in early 2009.

"Irin and I were high-school friends," Nadya said. "We hadn't seen each other for such a long time and decided to meet up."

During the meetup, they discovered that they had one thing in common, which was that they both felt stuck at their jobs and wanted to start their own businesses.

Under the brand name Kami Idea, they started making costume jewelry and tie-dye scarves and selling them on Facebook and at community bazaars.

Irin's sister Afina, who was still studying in Malaysia at that time, also chipped in for the initial working capital.

"At that time, most of tie-dye scarves in the market had bold colors," said Nadya, the creative director. "But we made them in cool colors, which we believe are more suitable for Indonesian skin tones."

Istafiana Candarini, Nadya Karina and Afina Candarini are interviewed by a television station. (Photo courtesy of Kami)

Soon, their scarves became very popular in the market, especially among hijabis.

"Some of our customers also asked us to start designing Muslim wear and we listened," Nadya said.

The brand's debut Muslim-wear collection, also adorned with tie-dye patterns, quickly took off in the market.